Things To Do In SW Florida

Lets talk about selecting the right contractor for your job. Recently, I was called to meet with a potential client that wanted the following list of things done to her home; a) remove and replace existing decking on back patio and stairs, b) extend existing pool cage to include extending the concrete apron, c) remodel her exterior built in cooking area, and finally, d) rebuild and resurface the handicap ramp to her rear patio.

As someone who has built many projects over the years, contractors by in large, can be, and typically are, over confident in their abilities. As a business owner, this is a necessary evil! However, it can lead us to accept jobs that may not be a good fit for our company.

As a case in point, on the project listed above, my company (and our employees) have tons of experience with decks and ramps; but not so much with extending the pool cage and concrete footing. This project should require multiple subcontractors to complete the project (and that’s exactly how I would have handled it). However, the owner wanted one contractor that could do everything. Gang, as a contractor this is a huge red flag. I did not make it far enough into the discussion with the home owner to find out why she only wanted one contractor, but I know two things about this: read more

You’ve done your homework and obtained some price averages that are relevant to your area for your upcoming bathroom renovation project; Great Job! Now its time to find a contractor – “Que the Jaws music”! This can be the point where panic sets in for some folks but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Back in the day (before indoor plumbing) the tried and true practice was to call 5 or 6 contractors in the hopes of getting 4 to 5 to actually look at your project, in the hopes of getting 2 or 3 to actually give you a bid. And you would get one really high number, one really low number and a third bid that wasn’t really a bid at all but rather an attempt to sign you up in the “book of the quarter club”. The good news is that you got 2 bids, the bad news is that they are light years apart and neither are doing the same thing, much less providing the same material.

Folks, lets take a step back and see how this could/should go.

Step 1: When you are ready to build your project spend as much time researching your contractor as you did in selecting the manufacture of your shower valves or engineered flooring. Contractors can be found rather easily. We are in phone books, on line, various magazines, newspapers, your neighbor even plays golf with a guy that went to school with a contractor! As soon as you tell one person you want to build something everyone has a contractor that you need to talk to (but not all contractors are meant to build your job – more on this in a bit). read more

Property Damage Insurance Claims…

So you recently filed an insurance claim for the water leak under your kitchen cabinets and you want your insurance company to pay up.  One of the first questions they will ask you is, “who installed your kitchen cabinets and faucet”?  Assuming you used a licensed and insured contractor you wont have anything to worry about.  However, if you used your friend’s brother’s cousin’s husband who owns a truck and a tape measure, but is not licensed and insured, your insurance company may deny your claim.

The post We’re Licensed! Why it Matters. appeared first on Sunset Builders.

Bathroom Remodeling Planning and Ideas for 2018; a detailed Guide to get it right the first time.

Bathroom Remodeling Planning and Ideas for 2018 will walk you thru questions like where to begin, what to buy, how much it will cost or how long will a bathroom remodeling project take? By writing in segments; one week we will discuss cabinets, and the next week tile and so on; you will get “bite” size chunks of information that you can then use to make informed decisions about your project. We will cover such topics as:

1. Cabinets
2. Tile
3. Countertops
4. Fixtures
5. Faucets and tub/shower valves
6. Waterproofing
7. Things hidden behind the drywall: exhaust fans, insulation, electrical wiring & plumbing to name a few.
8. Lighting
9. Medicine cabinets and vanity mirrors.
10.  Glass surrounds & shower doors
11.  Towel bars and grab bars
12.  Doors and trim work
13.  Painting

And after we have covered all of the material items it will be time to talk about how we go about getting all those things into your new bathroom. With such topics as:

1. To permit or not to permit
2. Contractors or doing it yourself
3. How long will I be without my bathroom
4. How much will this cost
5. Punch list and job close out – what to expect
6. Warranties and the other fine print

After we finish with this blog you should be armed with enough information to go out and make informed decisions about your project. So sit back, and enjoy the read. Don’t forget to follow our blog; Bathroom Remodeling Planning and Ideas for 2018, so you can be notified when the next update hits. As always, if you have a question, feel free to contact me at: Info@sunsetbuilders.net or 239-233-2152. Lastly, I ask for your assistance in providing accurate information. Please let me know if you have an issue with something I have written; it is entirely possible that I could have “old” information as the construction industry is constantly changing itself. My ego is in check and I value all input! read more

Don’t use This Guy to do work for you… He ripped us off!

Does this title look familiar? I see it and many others like it every day on various social media sites.

Unfortunately, I see this title just as many times and likely from the people that posted the first time. Foregoing the potentially obvious problems of people working in the construction industry in Florida without proper licensing and insurance; I want to tell you the number one reason why you should only hire licensed professionals to do your work. In short, THE CONTRACT.

Contracts come in all shapes and sizes and they include as much or as little as the creativity of the person writing it. There’s an old adage that says, “contracts and fences make for good neighbors” or something like that. A good contract should contain the answers to the following questions; Who, What, Why, When, Where & How. A great contract will provide extremely detailed answers to these questions.

To illustrate this a little better I want to go back to the social media post of the unhappy couple that felt as though they got ripped off on their bathroom remodeling project. Why do they feel this way? Simple, they feel they paid for something that they didn’t receive. I am certain, when they first met with Mr. Low Price, he assured them that he could do the job and it could be done in a matter of days (if not hours), and this was all that Mr. & Mrs. Unhappy Couple heard! Little, if any, details of the project were ever discussed. So, Mr. Low Price is walking away with one idea and Mr. & Mrs. Unhappy Couple walk away with another idea. The odds of a project like this working out to the benefit of both parties is very small. Likewise, the odds of Mr. and Mrs. Unhappy Couple making the second post above, about 1-2 weeks after Mr. Low Price starts the job, are very high. read more